ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the components needed to promote a successful formal academic experience for participants in online educational programs. This chapter has outlined the kinds of support and the high level of communication that is required to sustain an online course and in the end develop an online program whose retention and graduation rates are at least as high as those for traditional on-campus programs. Despite the self-assessments, it is not surprising that there are no specific additional skills required and evaluated in the admission process for online students. In traditional educational settings, many students are admitted who are in need of remedial work, particularly in community colleges that have invested heavily in online education. An effective method to answer general questions is to set up a special discussion forum a water-cooler forum of sorts to which every student subscribes. The issues confronting students in online learning programs have to be addressed at a programmatic level.
